Warriors' Davis opts out of deal; Clippers to pursue?

Warriors' Davis opts out of deal; Clippers to pursue?
What has been widely described as a shallow pool of NBA free agents got surprisingly deeper Monday night when Golden State Warriors guard Baron Davis joined Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand in opting out of the final year on his contract. The decision was especially unexpected in Davis' case, after strong indications as recently as last week that he would not be forfeiting next season's $17.8 million salary to become an unrestricted free agent. But the move -- after Davis' camp made little progress in recent weeks in its attempts to secure a contract extension with the Warriors -- suddenly creates the very real possibility that the former UCLA star could wind up alongside Brand in a homecoming with the Clippers. Brand told ESPN.com that opting out "definitely doesn't mean I'm leaving the Clippers" and that his "intention is to stay" and re-sign with L.A. Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar, likewise told ESPN.com late Monday that his client "has always been adamant about remaining a Warrior." But NBA front-office sources said early Tuesday that the Clippers would be making an immediate run at trying to pair Davis with Brand, although that would almost certainly require L.A. to abandon any interest in re-signing swingman Corey Maggette -- who also opted out his contract Monday after averaging 22.1 points per game last season -- and force Brand to take a slight pay cut. Davis As of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning, NBA teams were permitted to commence negotiations and strike verbal agreements with free agents, with actual signings and trades on hold until a leaguewide moratorium is lifted July 9. Brand and agent David Falk insisted that their decision to forfeit next season's $16.4 million salary and allow Brand to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career was designed to give the Clippers more payroll flexibility to strengthen the team around its face of the franchise. Falk told ESPN.com that a visit to Boston for Game 2 of the NBA Finals to see the Celtics' triumvirate of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen was Brand's spark. "He watched what happened when a few stars get together and agree to have a communal effort," Falk said. "He said, 'That's what I'd like to accomplish in my career.'" Signing Davis away from the Warriors would certainly supply the Clippers with elite anchors in the backcourt as well as the front line, provided that Davis continues to stay healthy after playing all 82 games last season and if Brand continues to recover from an Achilles tear that limited him to just eight games in 2007-08. Davis, 29, was the key figure on a Golden State team which halted a 12-season playoff drought in 2006-07 and produced a historic first-round upset of the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs. He then averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds last season, but the Warriors just missed out on a second consecutive playoff berth despite a win total (48) exceeded by only three teams in the Eastern Conference. Davis has repeatedly professed his desire to establish long-term roots in Oakland and responded angrily last Wednesday to suggestions that he wanted to be traded, telling ESPN.com: "I know what's in my heart and the people in the Bay Area know what's in my heart." But it's believed that Davis is not only frustrated by his inability to reach a long-term agreement with the Warriors but is also somewhat unsettled by the fact that Golden State still must re-sign young cornerstones Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins and has coach Don Nelson under contract for only one more season. "[Opting out] was a difficult decision to say the least," Ramasar said. "The past couple years, he's had a lot of success with the Warriors and I think they've had a lot of success with him. "But he had gotten to the point that we were at a crossroads and it was something we had to address. ... With no extension or deal in place ... [opting out] was a bit unexpected but something that I advised Baron to do." The Clippers appear to be the only realistic free-agent destination for Davis if his opt-out gamble doesn't lead to a new round of contract negotiations with the Warriors or if he can't convince Golden State to participate in a sign-and-trade. Memphis and Philadelphia are the only other teams with cap space to offer and neither is expected to pursue Davis. The Warriors, meanwhile, weren't commenting Monday night, so it was not immediately known whether they plan to return to the negotiating table or if they're willing to let Davis go -- in spite of Golden State's success since pairing Davis with the free-wheeling Nelson -- and press ahead with their growing youth movement and the cap space that would be created by Davis' departure. Golden State let a $9.9 million trade exception -- created by the 2007 draft-day deal that sent Jason Richardson to Charlotte -- expire Monday in part to ens